At about 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Chelmsford police put out an alert for a Toyota Matrix that had been stolen in Andover, Mass., that morning, according to Deputy Chief Shawn Patten. The car was then allegedly used in the theft of baby formula in Chelmsford and Nashua.

Shortly after the alert was made, Officer Paul Benoit of the Salem Police Department spotted the car pulling out of the Market Basket parking lot and turning left onto Rockingham Park Boulevard.

“Officer Benoit was able to pull alongside the vehicle and force it to pull over,” said Patten. However, the driver dove out of the passenger window and attempted to get away on foot.

Benoit and another police officer were able to catch the suspect and, after a struggle, were able to get Slater into custody, according to Patten.

Police also discovered that Slater allegedly stole baby formula from Market Basket and that there was jewelry in the car that was believed to been stolen.

Salem detectives are continuing to investigate the crimes and are working with other departments where Slater may have committed crimes.